Volunteering

Could you spare some of your precious time to help us reach more people in need living in your community? We are facing an unprecedented demand for our Befriending service across the county and one of your neighbours may be in need of help.

Befriending is simple but very rewarding. Our volunteers pop in for a chat once a week for around an hour and talk about everything and anything. It is simple but means so much to the older person.

Our volunteers benefit from the visits as much as our clients. You can help to change the lives of local people and make sure no one has no one. Please get in touch for more information.

Could you bring the magic of reading to a child in South Gloucestershire?Beanstalk is a national literacy charity that transforms children’s life chances by recruiting and supporting volunteers and placing them in local primary schools. These volunteers work with children who have either fallen behind with their reading, lack confidence, or struggle with their fluency, comprehension or vocabulary.The charity is searching for more members of the community in South Gloucestershire who can spare a few hours a week supporting children in local primary schools. As a Beanstalk reading helper in a local school you will work with three children at a local primary school and spend 30 minutes with each child twice a week, during term-time, for at least one academic year.

Young and Free is a buddying and befriending service for disabled people aged 16-25 with physical and/or sensory impairments.We do our absolute best to make sure that everyone who wants to get involved can be given all the support they need to become a befriending champion.If you think it is something you may be interested in please get in touch.

Girlguiding are seeking Leaders and Assistant Leaders across South Gloucestershire. If you’re someone with a sense of adventure looking for a rewarding challenge then Girlguiding could be for you.Help girls to realise their full potential and share some unforgettable moments along the way. Click below to register your interest.

Healthwatch can shape and improve local health and social care services for the future but we need volunteers to find out what people think works well and how they would like to see care improved.

Volunteers can represent Healthwatch at health and social care meetings and boards or help staff information stands at venues such as local hospitals and GP surgeries, visit and talk to local community groups and attend big community events to find out what local people want and need from their local health care services. Healthwatch volunteers can also be trained to ‘enter and view’ health and care services to observe the service and make recommendations to help make the service better.

Healthwatch can shape and improve local health and social care services for the future but we need volunteers to find out what people think works well and how they would like to see care improved.

We are looking for a volunteer to lead on Quality for our South Gloucestershire Healthwatch Executive Board. This person will lead on responses to NHS Trust quality accounts and the priorities each trust has set for the year. Quality accounts are a report about the quality of service provided by NHS healthcare providers.

To find out more about volunteering with Healthwatch contact Pat Foster Volunteer Support Officer Tel: 0117 9589344 or by Email.

Marie Curie needs your help! We are recruiting in your area for volunteers to join our local Yate & Sodbury Fundraising Group.

Fundraising Groups across the UK meet regularly to organise and support fundraising activities in their local area. As the local face of Marie Curie’s fundraising team, volunteers donate their time and effort to raise money to help us continue caring for terminally ill people at home.

Why join a local Fundraising Group?

There are so many benefits to joining a Fundraising Group including:- meeting new people in your area- getting involved in your community- sharing new experiences and having fun- raising money to provide care to terminally ill people in your local area- receiving expert support and advice from the local Marie Curie fundraising teams

If you are interested in hearing more about our local fundraising group please contact your local community fundraiser Natalie.

We are seeking volunteers who are prepared to serve as committee members with a caring manner who may be interest in undertaking the role of Trustee or Chairperson.Our aim is to support people with physical disabilities and their carers to improve quality of life and reduce social isolation. Meetings are normally held every 2 months.We urgently require a Treasurer with a good level of accountancy/book-keeping skills to potentially take over as Treasurer given the poor health of our present Treasurer.Trustees may be needed to support the Project Manger to assist at the office when required or to assist undertake specific tasks. This should provide an overview of project through the work undertaken both at committee and operational level.This overarching and eclectic nature of the role of committee member /Trustee may appeal to people from a social care perspective with an in interest of working as a member of a team as a committee member and with the Project Manager, the public, community and statutory other bodies.The role could also appeal to those interested in community sector involvement including raising the profile of our project and sharing ideas with other agencies in utilising both our own and other services more effectively.We welcome people who can use their own initiative and offer their own skills and ideas to contribute to the aims and objectives of the project. We are for example working with agencies to identify people who may be socially isolated by virtue of a disability and in seeking ways to support people access our service.Training and support will be provided to understand the wider issues of working within the Charitable sector and the importance of funding, promotion and direct support to people who use our service.Please contact Project Manager Sheridan Crew should you feel you can assist us.